


the sound of snow

by wishingwell44



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fluff, Happy, M/M, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Romantic Comedy, Slice of Life, Snow, Snowball Fight, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-18
Updated: 2019-12-18
Packaged: 2021-02-26 10:40:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21848350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wishingwell44/pseuds/wishingwell44
Summary: A blizzard hits New York City. Steve and Bucky find a reason to go outside.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Comments: 2
Kudos: 25





	the sound of snow

**Author's Note:**

> A little end of year story! Enjoy.

Steve stood by his window, with a warm mug of coffee watching the snow fall down. He was taking his time this morning. It was his first winter without any obligations. Back in his home, pajama pants hanging low on his hips.

Back in Brooklyn. 

Done with...everything. 

It was just Steve, his hot cup of coffee, and the snow that was falling outside. He was thankful. Thankful that his body wasn't like what it was back before the war. He would have been three blankets deep under the covers, body way too warm to be considered healthy, and way too weak to be rushed to the hospital. 

Steve remembered his mother, as a small group walked by. A mom and her three kids all bundled up and holding sleds.  _ There’s a hill down the road by the school _ , Steve reminded himself. 

The snow was coming down hard, and the news in the background giving updates like it was the storm of the century. Steve walked away from the window and sat on his couch, putting his slippers on his feet.

_ “Now Dan,”  _ the news reporter started saying by turning her chair to the man with the bright blue tie,  _ “how much snow is supposed to fall today? Do I have to get my shovel out of the trunk to be able to get out of my parking spot?” _

The man in the bright blue tie chuckled as if something she said was hysterical and turned to the reporter.  _ “Looks like we’re getting about six inches an hour. This storm isn’t letting up any time soon so expect maybe at a grand total of almost two feet. So you may want to get your shovel out of the trunk.” _

“Six inches an hour?” Bucky said as he padded into the living room. 

“Don’t say it, Buck,” Steve said as he took a sip from his mug.

Bucky sat on the couch, close to Steve, and set down his own mug of hot chocolate. “That's what I gave you last night, but it was three times within an hour, isn’t that right?” he winked, as he leaned into Steve’s warm body.

Steve leaned back, shifting his body down so his head was on Bucky’s shoulders. 

Steve was also thankful for Bucky being by his side. Not only in the literal sense, but for the past however many years they were finally,  _ officially _ , together. As the news played on, Steve lightly dragged his hand up and down Bucky’s leg, making sure he remembered this moment.

*

By 12, the snowstorm wasn’t letting up. 

Steve walked to the window, a new mug of tea in hand, and now donning a sweater, with his pajama pants. They had already cleared the surrounding walkways and driveways twice, before deciding to just wait until the next lull in the storm to shovel once again. Both Steve and Bucky made sure their neighbors were okay with the plan before retreating to their cozy home. Steve watched more families walk by, silently wishing he had that chance with his mom. 

Steve felt an arm around his waist, pulling him close. 

“Stop your thoughts,” Bucky murmured against his neck. 

Steve sighed. “Didn’t know you got the mind-reading abilities with your serum.”

“I’m more like Sherlock Holmes; I know your tells,” Bucky paused, and let Steve go. “How about we go outside?”

“No, we agreed on waiting to shovel more until the snow stopped.” Steve’s voice was almost stern.

“Going outside as in not shoveling.” 

“ _ Now _ , you’ve piqued my interest.” 

“How about we get some actual pants on, rather than those pajamas that hide absolutely  _ nothing _ to the imagination, and walk around. Get some fresh air."

*

They changed with leisure, not letting the ticking clock give them any sort of anxiety. Hats and scarves were donned only out of muscle memory. Bucky secured his knit hat, with a colorful pom-pom, over his head, and Steve wrapping the too long scarf around his neck with a knit headband that only covered his ears. Mittens were put on right before heading out into the snow filled tundra that Brooklyn had become. 

Outside was quiet. No cars, no yelling - just the sound of the snow, and absolutely nothing else. Steve idly took Bucky’s hand as they walked through the street. 

“You remember the big snowstorm in November of ‘38?” Bucky looked at Steve, a smile formed on his face. Steve looked at Bucky and chuckled. 

“The one during Thanksgiving?”

“The very one.”

“What was it, a foot of snow?” Steve questioned. 

“Yeah, we just finished with thanksgiving at my folks’ place, and then  _ bam. _ 13 and a half inches.” 

“You hit me in the face with an ice ball,” Steve noted. 

“I’m not having this argument again,” Bucky let go of Steve’s hand, but his tone was light. 

“My nose was bleeding!” Steve laughed. 

“It was a regular snowball! You just had a very breakable nose.”

“Most of my bullies said that to me,” Steve turned to face Bucky but he was nowhere to be found. “Not fair!” Steve practically yelled into the park they had seemingly wandered into. “Bucky, you are clearly taking advantage of your training right now,” Steve bent down and started to form a snowball. 

Something whizzed right by Steve’s ear, and landed with a soft thud. Steve, back when Bucky was recovering after the fall of SHIELD, Christmas came around, just like every year. He caught Bucky in the tower watching a movie.  _ Elf. _ Fun little movie, with an actor that looked like Happy. There was this scene in Central Park where the bullies started a snowball fight with the main character, and all of a sudden with marksman accuracy, the snowballs would hit each person.

It was one of the first times Steve actively heard Bucky laugh, and one of the first times he thought that his Bucky was slowly inching back to the surface. 

A snowball smacked Steve right in the middle of his face. 

“ _ Bucky!”  _ Steve wiped his face his glove. “ _ Fine. _ If you wanna play dirty, we can play dirty.” Steve ducked behind a close tree, and started to pack some snowballs together, trying to be as quiet as possible. He was listening, using his training to make sure to pick up on the slight sounds of snow crunching, where Bucky would take his next steps. 

He was fast and quiet, but Steve knew his tricks. He grabbed a few snowballs and cradled them in his arms, and ducked behind a tree.

“Steve, I can still see you,  _ clear as day,”  _ Bucky said from Steve’s left. “You’re like three times bigger than the twig you are trying to hide behind.” 

Steve rolled his eyes, and begrudgingly got up from the ground. As soon as he got to a more open space, a snowball hit him in the back of his head. “Oh, you asshole,” Steve said with a light tone. 

“Giving up, Steve?” Bucky asked. 

“Are you really asking that?” Steve looked up to the thin branches, thinking Bucky was somehow balancing on. As to think Bucky would not just...break the whole tree in the process. 

From behind, Steve was knocked down, snowballs flying everywhere, and with a soft thud, Steve was enveloped in snow. He felt the weight of Bucky on top of him, and as soon as he brushed the almost melted snow off of his face, he saw Bucky’s smiling face staring back at him. 

“Hi,” he smiled. 

“You tackled me,” Steve pointed out, “and now my pants are completely soaked.”

“You never complain about that when we’re home,” Bucky raised an eyebrow.

“Shut up,” Steve smiled, and leaned up to kiss Bucky. “But seriously, my underwear is about to be completely drenched. I don’t wanna get a cold.”

“We’re supersoldiers. We don’t get colds.”

“To be fair, we don’t know that,” Steve tried to raise a point.

“Fair,” Bucky kissed Steve again, and rolled off onto the ground. “Back to the place, and get a fire rolling?”

“I’d like that very much,” Steve didn’t budge from the ground, and neither did Bucky. Steve just moved his hand, on top of Bucky’s, as they both looked at each other and smiled, in the snow, listening to it as it fell. 

**Author's Note:**

> Happy holidays, and if you don't celebrate, I hope you have a wonderful rest of your year.
> 
> Here's to 2020!


End file.
